Miles and I went up to Midway Tennessee last weekend for his first competition since his injury in March.  This was a NOTRA race that is popular with owners of sighthounds. All sighthounds can compete and we had whippets, borzoi, basenjis and greyhounds at this competition. This is not professional racing - no betting. Dogs win titles, ribbons and dog toys and just have fun. The dogs love the chance to chase the lure and do what they were bred to do. It is a great way to keep dogs in exercised and in shape.

Miles had been sore after a collision with another dog back in March. For the first week or two he was too sore to run fast but we did acupuncture, massage and other therapies on him and gradually the soreness went away. His stride was a little off for awhile after that so I didn't let him run after a lure or with other dogs for a couple of months. Then I had to get him back in shape again before I could let him run hard.

 I wasn't nearly as careful about my first greyhound and wondered why the other owners at lure coursing events checked the dog over after every run and worried so much about them. If they even thought the dog might have soreness they would drop them out of the competition even if I could see absolutely nothing wrong with the dog's stride. A dog could change its stride one time in a course and the owner would take them out of the competition just in case there was a reason for it. I had no idea back then how they will run through an injury and make it worse because they love to run so much. The owner has to be really cautious to make sure they are fine to run because they will give it 100 percent no matter what. It is like having an airplane. You better be sure you take care of it and that nothing is wrong with it before you think about running it. At the competitions you have to trot your dog in front of the judges before they are even allowed to run so experts can make sure they look sound to avoid injuries. It is all about fun for the dogs and keeping it safe.

When we arrived Miles spotted the boxes and the track right away and tried to drag me over there before the lure even was hooked up. He was ready to go. The first race I was nervous to see how he did and watched his stride to see if he showed any sign of the old soreness. I was also hoping he wouldn't be timid passing or running with another greyhound after having one fall on him. I didn't see any sign of soreness and he ran with a lot of drive. He did end up behind the other greyhound and had to get by her which took some doing. He tried hard to get to the inside rail but she wouldn't let him through so he went around her on the outside. She caught him and passed him when he did that. At the straight at the end he pulled ahead of her for the win though.

The first two races were close and exciting. The last one was a box to wire win for Miles though. He really turned on the speed and looked really good. He always seem to do better in the later races or maybe the older dogs just start to slow down in the later races and make him look faster. He is only two and most of the dogs he runs against are older dogs that are retired racers so he should be faster and have more endurance.

Miles in #2 Willow in #1. Willow has the rail and the lead as Miles tries to pass on the outside - Photo Jennifer Ng

Miles pulls ahead for the win. It was an exciting race several lead changes and he pulled ahead at the last second in the home stretch - Photo Jennifer Ng.

Here is a video of the last of 3 races. Miles seemed to do better with each race This one he stayed in the front from box to wire. I was very happy and relieved that he seems to be OK after his injury and will still be able to do this. He loves to chase a lure so much that I would hate to have to retire him because of an injury.

Antlers

Miles got some hand made antlers from his friend Susan for Christmas. He was pretty embarrassed initially. You will probably be able to tell which photo was taken first. I think it helped when he heard that his heroes the police canines also wear antlers at Christmas sometimes. Petco shoppers making over him and taking his picture probably helped a bit too.  He is pretty proud of those antlers now.

He got to kiss Santa for luck and checked out his beard. Miles was pretty sure it was no more natural than the antlers on his head or his mom's hair color. Definitely something that should be tied to string with a young greyhound chasing it.

Susan also made antlers for Moose. Here is our foster Wheel McCoy modeling them at our Petco meet and greet.

 

In other greyhound news: Friday Moose and Miles went with me to Camden to the Polo Field. We were helping to set up the LGRA (Large Gazehound Racing Association) straight track. It is a 200 yard straight run where the dogs break out of real racing boxes. Miles had practiced once before months ago but we wanted to do a little more box practice and get both boys certified by a judge so they can enter competitions.

To get certified they have to run the course cleanly, no bumping, playing or other rough housing and they have to be focused on chasing the lure and not on the other dog running with them. Normally it isn't a good idea to have dogs that live in the same house certify each other because they are more likely to play. Moose was a professional racer for years and was good so I knew he would run clean. Miles has always run clean in his previous runs with other dogs in AKC lure coursing competitions so I was pretty sure he would be fine too.

Miles is always so much faster when running in the yard with Moose so I was sure I knew who the winner would be. Moose was so cool when he walked up to the box and walked in without a fuss. He was so professional and knew exactly what he was supposed to do. He was staring at the lure and was totally focused. Miles had already run a few practices out of the box and I tried to put him in a different box. He tried to back out and kept trying to get in the box we had used before. I didn't think about that small detail and hadn't trained him out of EACH box. Slapping head.

Moose broke fast at the track according to the racing records and videos I found on him. He broke ahead of Miles this time too. On this short of a track there isn't much time to make up for a bad break. The break alone can win the race and Miles couldn't catch his older brother. He is eager for a rematch though and is pretty sure he can do better next time. They both passed their certification run so will be able enter the next competition we go to.

A real racer!

I took Miles to his first race meet Sunday. This is a for fun short straight race of just 200 yards put on by the Large Gazehound Racing Association (LGRA). It is open to all sighthounds. The dogs win toys and sometimes ribbons. There is a point system so the dogs can get national rankings and titles. It is something that a lot of retired racers and their owners really enjoy. The dogs get exercise and still get the thrill of doing what they have been bred to do for thousands of years - chase.

This is Miles very first practice run behind the lure. He wasn't competing and only ran half the course. He enjoyed it though. His later runs were faster as he realized what was going on. He even did a few runs up and down the track without the lure because he was having such a great time.

Miles wasn't the one doing the barking and howling during the run. Those were the dogs that were watching and waiting very impatiently for their turn. The dogs get VERY excited watching. Miles was leaping around barking and whining while he was waiting for his turn earlier. The reason he was sitting at the start is because it has become a default behavior when the collar tightens up. He would get excited and pull then the collar would tighten and he would politely sit - still barking and howling wanting to chase the lure.

After the first run we taught him to run through the boxes you can see at the beginning of the video. We did that by leaving the front and back doors open. Someone in front played with the lure and got it to make noise then I released him to get it letting him run through the "tunnel". We did that a few times then closed the front put him in and popped it open so he could run out a few feet and grab the lure. He loved the game and picked it up fast. His final run was out of a closed box. There was just a split second pause when it opened before he ran out after the lure.

He will still need some more practices running alone after the lure the entire 200 yard distance before he is ready to run with another dog. I want him to be totally focused on the lure so he doesn't try to play with dogs running with him.